A TRURO property developer plans to invest up to £4 million in Truro City Football Club over the next five years and transform the troubled team into a professional unit.

Kevin Heaney, managing director of Cornish Homes in Lemon Street, revealed his ambitious proposals at the club on Monday with Chris Webb, former first team manager, who will take over the club as general manager.

"The club has not had any direction for a long time," said Mr Heaney. "We have to get up to a professional league level, which will be the goal of what will be a ten-year programme."

The initial stages of the club's recovery have already started with work begun on the refurbishment of the clubhouse, which will be redecorated and newly carpeted.

It is the start of the plan to turn Truro City into one of the best in the South West, offering first class corporate facilities as well as first class football.

This will include redevelopment of the ground in Treyew Road to provide a stadium for from 12,000 to 15,000 people. "It could eventually be used for pop concerts and staging important finals. We have got to make this an income for the future," said Mr Heaney.

On the playing side the immediate goal is to win the Carlsberg South Western league for next season and move into the Screwfix Western League. Chris is already looking to attract new talent to the club from the Western League. "We will have to tweak the team a bit because we have got to start getting results," he said.

"We can get to a professional league level," said Mr Heaney. "We plan to introduce youth teams. There's a lot of talent coming through. Who knows we might be lucky to get another Beckham or Owen in the club."

Mr Heaney, a Tottenham Hotspur supporter, said: "Ultimately it could take the rest of our lives to achieve this. The main thing is to involve the community. We want people to get behind this club and start coming here with their families.

"At the end of the day Cornish people want to fly their flag for Cornwall. If Penzance-Newlyn can do it for rugby I don't see why we can't do it for football."